Book-holder



(.No Model.)

s. VAN-METER. v BOOK HOLDER.

No; 562,988. Patented June' 30, 189 6.

mm m:

iii Ill Z Momma.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SEYMOUR VAN METER, OF CANTRALL, ILLINOIS.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,988, dated June 30, 1896.

Application filed April 9, 1895. Serial No. 545,039. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SEYMOUR VAN METER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cantrall, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in book-holders of that class wherein the book is held between two lids which are hinged at the point corresponding to the back, and which form when opened a stand for the book; and it consists in certain improvements in the manner of holding the book, and a means of adjustment so that a book of any thickness may be held between the, lids, the whole being effected without the use of springs or catches.

In the several drawings like characters of reference refer to like parts.

Figure 1 is a side view of my invention when closed. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a section showing one of the book-holder lids when open. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the means of adjusting the book at any desired angle. Fig. 6 represents a detail View, partly in section, of the part 0 and the adjusting mechanism.

' A is a stem projecting downward in a socket in a standard not deemed necessary to show, as any form of standard may be used.

B is a piece fitted to the upper part of A and capable of revolving thereon, having the jaws b b and at the upper part a thumbscrew 1). Between the jaws b b fits the part c, pivoted at c of the piece 0, having at o a lug or stop which takes against the lug or stop 12 of the piece B, as shown in Fig. 1, to prevent the book-holder from tilting at such an angle as to displace the book. The thumbscrew b serves to press against the periphery of the part c and hold the book at any suitable angle.

The piece 0 has a part 0 set at right angles to the plane of the part c, which has the sides 0 shaped as shown and serving as guides for two adj ustment-piece D D. From the center of 0 projects a screw 0 The adjustment-pieces D D are provided with the curved bars (Z d for holding the lids fixed on pieces D D and extending upward therefrom. D D are further provided with the slots (1' cl, having the racks d (1 located on opposite sides of the respective slots, as shown.

E is a gear revolving loosely on the screw 0 F is a thumb-nut, and f a washer for the screw 0 To assemble these parts, the gear E is dropped over the screw 0 the pieces D D are slid into the piece G between the guides 0 the piece D being on top, until the racks d (1 take against the gear E, the washer f is dropped over, and the thumb-nut F screwed on. It will now be obvious that any inward or outward movement on the part of D will be attended by a corresponding movement on the part of D, so that the rods d cl will always be at an even distance from the center. It will also be plain that by means of the thumb-nut they can be held at any required distance, and this will be borne in mind as reference is had to it hereinafter. The rods (1 (1 above referred to are provided with straight portions d d.

The book-holder proper consists of two flat pieces of .wood or metal G G, having attached thereto at points somewhat above the lower edge the hinges H H, having hollow pieces h h and h h to fit overthe straight parts d d of the rods d cl, and provided with the lugs 19 12 K K are small hollow pieces to slip on the rods d cl between the parts h h and h h and hold the hinges on and are provided with the set-screws k k and the lugs 7c.

L L are leather or other flexible straps attached to the sides G G at points somewhat above the points at which the sides G G are hinged and laced together by the lacings Z l. It will be plain that when abook is now placed between the sides G G and they are adjusted to the thickness of the book, as above mentioned, the weight of the book will tend to draw the sides closely together; but when the book is opened the greater part of the weight will fall outside of the line of the hinge, as shown in Fig. 3, and the holder will stay open by the weight of the book. It will be held from falling too far by the lugs 72, 71, taking against the lugs 10 k.

Having thus described my invention, I claim I w 1. In a book-holder, hinged cover-plates supported on a suitable stand and having attached thereto flexible straps laced together to form a pocket or receptacle for a book, substantially as described.

2. In a book-holder, hinges attached to the cover-plates each consisting of a plate having two hollow pipe-like portions, flexible straps attached to the said cover-plates a rod forming a portion of the support or base whereon the hinge may turn and a collar provided with a set-screw to be placed upon the rod between the hollow portions above referred to and then fastened by means of the aforesaid set-screw,

3. In a book-holder, hinges attached to the cover-plates each consisting of a plate having two hollow pipe-like portions, a rod forming a portion of the support or basewhereon the hinge may turn, a collar provided with a setscrew to be placed upon the rod between the hollowpor-tions above referred to and then fastened'by means of the aforesaid set-screw,

a lug on the hinge-plate and a corresponding lug on the collar whereby the covers may be prevented from opening beyond a certain predetermined position.

4. A book-holder consisting of two coverplates on hinges joined to form a receptacle for a book by flexible straps laced together, rods to support the hinges, adjustable in respect to distance from each other in combina- 

